Workers in ‘Contractor’ Limbo at Risk in Covid-19 Jobless Wave

The coming tsunami of unemployment claims driven by the Covid-19 pandemic will make it harder for workers who claim they’re misclassified as contractors to get the legal help often needed to prove they’re eligible for unemployment benefits, legal observers said.

Most states use worker-friendly legal standards to establish employee status for unemployment insurance benefits. But the way claims are processed means workers frequently have to appeal initial agency denials to get those standards applied, observers said. That can make it difficult for “pro se” claimants who are representing themselves without counsel.

“The system is supposed to be designed to be ...